Roald Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer who was the first person to reach the South Pole in 1911. He had a passion for exploration from a young age despite his mother wanting him to become a doctor. Amundsen was also the first person to successfully navigate the Northwest Passage between 1903 and 1906. For his South Pole expedition, he secretly changed his planned destination and kept it hidden from his crew so he could be the first to reach the South Pole, arriving on December 14, 1911 with five men and 18 sled dogs.